Dragon Ball Z: The Novel
by Super Neko Majin
Summary: A novelization of Dragon Ball Z. I haven't seen this before on the site except for one attempt which didn't make it past Chapter 1, so I thought I'd take a crack at it. Rated T for uncensored violence and minor swearing.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Hello! This is a novelization of the wildly popular manga/anime Dragon Ball Z. I know this has probably been done, but I wanted to offer my own take on this idea. We will start at the beginning of DBZ, after Goku has defeated Piccolo Junior, mostly since I'm not familiar enough with the pre-Z story to novelize it well. I'll mostly be going off the manga, but don't kill me if I just happen to include some anime-only content. With that out of the way, let's begin!

Son Goku was the world's strongest man and greatest hero. With any luck, he was also about to win the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, the biggest martial arts tournament in the world. Right now, though, all of his limbs were broken, and his arch-enemy had just fired a ki blast at him. He could hear his friends screaming, but there was nothing they could do against Piccolo, King of Demons.

"I did a far more thorough job at breaking you than even my father! There's no way out of this one!" Piccolo laughed horribly as the blast hit Goku and destroyed what little was left of the arena. He flew down to make sure his enemy was dead. "Cry all you want, you pathetic humans. Your savior is nothing but ash, and there is not a damn thing you can do about it ! Now and forever, Son Goku is dead!"

Just a few feet away, the humans were white with fear. Krillin was in shock. "He... He killed Goku... This can't get any worse!", and Roshi knew it was true. Tenshinhan was the strongest of them, and he knew the Mafuba to imprison Piccolo, but even if he could survive the move, Piccolo would kill him in a single blast. "Ha ha! Now that Goku is dead, I can build my world of chaos! Who's going to stop me? Certainly not you."

Piccolo went on, but the others were too busy looking at a speck in the sky. It was falling, it was almost like it was aimed at the demon king, and it vaguely resembled-

"Tenshinhan, you have three eyes. Does that look like-" "Yes, Krillin! It's Goku!" Piccolo had forgotten that he wasn't the only fighter who knew how to fly. Now, Goku was dive-bombing towards the demon, and by the time Piccolo looked up, it was far too late. "It's over, Piccolo!", Goku shouted as he hit Piccolo hard enough to knock him out.

"Judge, he's- he's out of the ring, isn't- isn't he?" Goku asked. All the spectators had run away long ago, but miraculously, the tournament announcer had stayed to watch the fight. "Wha- what? Well, yes, I guess he is! The winner, and twenty-third world martial arts champion is... Son Goku!" All of Goku's friends crowded around him and congratulated him, and as Yajirobe handed him a Senzu, Goku wanted to feel this way for the rest of his life.


	2. Chapter 2: The Strongest Guy On Earth?

**Five years later**

An ordinary farmer was working in his field one day. He had just stopped to take a rest when he heard a noise in the sky. He looked up and jumped back when he saw some kind of meteor or UFO streaking through the sky. It finally landed less than a mile away, and he got in his truck to take a look. It was the last mistake he would ever make.

When he got to the crater, it was obvious that this was no meteor. It was made of gleaming steel, with a pink window. Suddenly, a door opened up, and a man stepped out. He had strange armor on and the longest black hair anyone had ever seen, and he jumped out of the crater in a single bound.

"This planet is still thriving with life! Damn that Kakarot!", the alien yelled. From up close, the farmer could see the alien had an honest-to-god tail, wrapped around his waist. A sort of visor on his head started beeping. "You defy me with a power level of only 5? Worthless!" The farmer raised his rifle, but the alien kept walking forward.

He shot the spaceman, but he somehow caught the bullet in his hand without being hurt. "No, dear God no!", the farmer yelled as he tried to run, but it was too late. The alien flicked the bullet at him hard enough to kill.

"Well, this is disappointing. If this is all that's on this rock, how could Kakarot have- Wait a minute, there's a power of 322, distance 4,880! That must be Kakarot!" The alien flew off. But it wasn't this Kakarot that he had found. No, it was the king of demons himself, Piccolo!

Piccolo was busy meditating when he felt a gigantic power. He knew it was far away, but even so it was incredibly strong. "Could this be Goku?" The source of the power was visible now, and flying fast. Fortunately, the hair was far too long to be Goku's, but even still Piccolo was a little nervous.

"Well, you're not Kakarot. How did someone like you end up here, of all places?" Piccolo had had enough of this. "Is there something you want, or did you just come here to die?" The alien just laughed. "Oh, please. I could beat someone stronger than you before breakfast." "Do... Do you not know who I am?" The alien was getting tired of this being. "With that kind of power, I don't see why I should."

Piccolo responded with a ki blast strong enough to crack mountains and turn any ordinary being to ash. The alien was clearly not ordinary, however, because when the smoke cleared, he was actually chuckling. There wasn't a mark on him! Piccolo just stared open-mouthed, and was starting to realize he might die here. "Alright, you've had your shot. Here's mine. Wait a second..." The device on his head was beeping again.

"There's another power level! It's almost 13,000 units away from here, but if that isn't the strongest power on this planet, I don't know what is! I'm coming, Kakarot!" And just like that, the alien flew off. Piccolo was dumbfounded. Ten minutes ago, he was the strongest person in the world, and now this person had treated him like he was nothing! He needed to calm down.

The mysterious warrior thought of Kakarot. He had been only a few years old last time they saw each other, and Kakarot only a baby. He'd always thought Kakarot's black, spiky hair was funny, since it always looked like he'd just gotten out of bed. He even remembered when he would pull his tail as a joke. But now, Kakarot had neglected his duty. This world should have been a wasteland, but it still teemed with useless life! "I hope you haven't lost the pride of the Saiyan race, Kakarot!"


	3. Chapter 3: Catching Up

Bulma got out of her helicopter. It had been five years since she'd gone to Kame House, but it hadn't taken long to get there at all. She opened the door, and Krillin was waiting for her.

"Bulma! It's been so long!", Krillin said excitedly. Master Roshi ran over to Bulma amd hugged her. "You should come more often. We never got a word from you in five years until we asked." Roshi started sneakily groping Bulma, only to get slapped.

"What happened with Yamcha, anyway?" Krillin asked. "That bitch only wanted my money. The moment he got a contract with the Titans, he just left!" Bulma took a few deep breaths. "Anyway, what happened to Launch?" Krillin explained, "Well, she ran after Tenshinhan right after we beat Piccolo, and we haven't heard a word ever since. Sounds a lot like someone..."

Goku was about to arrive at Kame House. He'd learned how to fly a while ago, but his Flying Nimbus was still faster. Besides, it was the only way he could carry someone else with him. He wasn't the only one going to Kame House, though. The alien was following Goku, and with his speed, he'd be there in no time.

Goku got off his Nimbus and opened the door. Bulma and Krillin ran out to greet him, but stopped when they saw a little boy in his arm. "What, did you start babysitting?" Krillin asked. "What do you mean? He's my kid." The other three were too shocked to speak. "Good afternoon?" Bulma said when she'd recovered. "Good afternoon. I'm Gohan", the boy replied.

"You've named him after your grandpa, then?" asked Roshi. "This is still such a surprise! It feels like no time at all when you weren't any taller than he was." Bulma asked Gohan how old he was. "I'm four years old", Gohan told her. "He's well mannered for your kid, Goku." "It's Chi-Chi's fault. She wants Gohan to be a scholar for some reason, says there's no use for martial arts. She won't let me train him at all!"

Bulma realized something. "He has a tail like you used to have!" Krillin asked "Wait, does he ever, you know, change? During a full moon?" "Nah, he goes to bed pretty early. What do you mean?" "Oh, um, nothing! Nothing at all." While Krillin remembered how Goku would turn into a giant monkey at the full moon, Goku had no memory of it, and since he'd accidentally killed his grandfather, they'd decided not to tell him.

"He's got a Dragon Ball on his hat! Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Roshi asked, worried. "It's fine. I'm the strongest fighter in the- What the hell is that?" Goku had just sensed an enormous ki. "Can't you feel it? Something incredibly strong is coming!" "It had better not be Yamcha," Bulma grumbled. "No, it's definitely not him. The only thing I've ever felt like this is Piccolo, but even he might not be this powerful."

The alien landed on the beach in front of Kame House.

 **Author Note: Sorry for the short chapter, it's late and I wanted to get another chapter in. It'll be longer next time, I promise!**


	4. Chapter 4: What Are the Saiyans?

The alien landed in front of Kame House.

He looked at Goku and spoke. "It's been a while, Kakarot." The alien paused. "You know, you really do look just like Father." Goku had no idea what he was talking about, and neither did anyone else there. "Enough talk! Why is this planet still alive? Have you gone and taken over this planet, or what? Answer me!" Krillin facepalmed and, ignoring his ki sense completely, walked toward the alien. "As funny as this is, this place is bad enough without drunks hanging around. Now just go back to wherever you came from and-" Krillin was cut off as the alien's tail smashed him into Kame House, knocking him out.

"Krillin! If he's dead, I'll- Is that a tail?" Goku remembered his childhood, when he had a tail just like it. "It's just like the one I had!" "Looks like you've figured out who I am then, Kakarot." Goku was still confused. "Umm... Yeah, I still don't know." Now it was the alien's turn to be confused. "You mean you still have no idea who I am? You can't have forgotten everything! It's like you had brain damage as a child!" "Well, I guess I did hit my head once a really long time ago, but I was too little to remember." The alien was horrified. "Dear God, I was joking! Worse, that would explain all this!" Goku was angry now. "Okay, tell me what this was all about!" Just then, Master Roshi interrputed them.

"Listen, Goku! 23 years ago, your grandfather Gohan told me he'd found a wild baby in the woods with a tail. He couldn't be tamed and tried to hurt everyone he saw, until one day, he fell in a ravine. Somehow, he had the strength to pull through, but his personality changed. He became a nice, friendly boy. That baby was you, Goku." Everyone was silent except Bulma. "Does that mean Goku and this guy are connected somehow?" 

Goku yelled at the alien. "You still haven't told me who you are! What do you want?" "Kakarot, listen to me. We need you back! Your race needs you back!" Just then, Krillin finally woke up. "Uggh... Asshole just hit me out of nowhere. Careful, Goku! His power's insane!" "I noticed. Just feeling his power scares me!" The alien yelled louder than Goku had. "Okay, enough of this bullshit! I don't know why you've made friends with these Earthlings, because you're not one of them! You are a Saiyan, born on Planet Vegeta, and one of the mightiest warriors in the cosmos! But that's not all! You know why I'm here? Because I'm your older brother, Raditz!"

Everyone stared in shocked silence. "No, it can't be!" "He... he's got a brother?" "He's an alien?" Krillin was the first to respond. "That's nonsense! If he's from space, why's he here on Earth?" Raditz had an easy answer. "It's quite simple, really. When word spread through space of the Saiyans' fighting power, we were... contracted by an enterprising emperor to find habitable worlds and prepare them to be sold to whoever would purchase. Part of that process includes killing any intelligent life."

Raditz continued, "Planets with strong species of their own are attacked by adult Saiyans. But those Saiyans were all sent to weaker planets as babies, to grow up and eventually destroy them. You would have been one of them, but apparently the space pod's programming was erased by goddamn brain damage! You could have at least used this planet's moon and become an Oozaru!" Krillin was scared. "If that's true, then every one of these guys make Piccolo look like nothing!" Goku believed Raditz, but was confused by one thing. "What do you mean, 'Oozaru'? And what does it have to do with the moon?"

"Oh, come on! Haven't you ever missed time, only to discover destruction in your wake, as if a monster had been through? That is the massive power of the Oozaru! When- Your tail. Where is it?" Goku replied, "I cut it off a long time ago, and the destruction stopped, so it was a good thing in my book."

"You, you miserable traitor! My own brother's gone native!" "I don't care if you really are an alien, or even if you're my brother! I won't let you kill people anymore!" Raditz yelled. "Kakarot-" "No! I'm Son Goku. Get the hell off my planet and go back where you came from!" Roshi jumped in. "Goku might be an alien, but he's always been the best Earthling I've ever known. He's saved this planet."

Raditz hung his head a little. "I wish I could go back, I really do. But 22 years ago, a massive meteor hit Planet Vegeta and completely destroyed it. I was a child assaulting another planet at the time, and the other two had been sent off-world on business. We're the only three left, but if you join us, we can make it four. You see, we found a nice little world called Namek a little while back, and thought we'd like to take it. It's a beautiful world, but the natives are incredibly strong. Even the three of us might not be able to take it. We were lost until I remembered you, and how you'd been sent off-world days before the destruction of our planet. You're not as strong as I'd hoped, but even you might have enough power to tip the balance."

Goku was furious now. "I'd rather die, you scum!" Raditz smiled. "Now, see, I thought you'd say that. But what if there was some incentive?" Raditz looked down at Gohan, who ran into Bulma's arms and started shaking in his Chinese prince outfit. "Either that boy has some horrible mutation, or he's your son. It's not every Earthling who has a tail, now, is it?" Goku ran to Gohan, quaking with raw fury. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to borrow my nephew for a while. It's a bit rude, I know, but sins of the father, am I right?" Goku screamed at his brother. "Take one more step and you'll be deader than your race!" Raditz, for his part, walked over, blocked Goku's jab with ease and kneed him in the stomach so hard he nearly puked.

Gohan was scared. "Daddy!" "Ah-ah-ah! Little boys should listen to their uncles. The same goes for little brothers, Kakarot. But don't worry, it's not all bad. You still have a chance to get your son back. I'll even let your friends help! All you have to do is kill a hundred of this pathetic little species, and poof! You'll have your son right back where he belongs. I think you'll find you like the rush of killing, though." Krillin was surprised. "Do you really think Goku would do that? You already know he saved the Earth!" "The real question is, would he rather have his beloved Saiyan son, or a few pathetic peons who he'll never meet? It doesn't matter anyway. You people have pissed me off. The moment we're done with Namek, we'll be back for you."

"I don't know much about your planet, but if that man with the stick was any indication, the three of us will be done with this planet by nightfall. Kakarot's only choice is to stop worrying and join his people." Goku struggled to sit up. "Give... me back... my son!" Raditz laughed. "If you make the right decision, I will. I'll expect these people killed by, say, 12:00 tomorrow. Don't be late, and please don't try to fight me. Actually, do. I need more comedy in my life." And with that, Raditz flew off.

The Demon King watched this with ever-increasing horror.

 **Author Note: This chapter is quite a bit longer than the rest. I'm hoping to make them all around this length now.**

 **If you've already seen the series, you probably noticed a few changes. The first is that a certain space tyrant is mentioned long before he was in the original series. The second is that the planet the Saiyans were attacking is Namek, as opposed to a random planet. This would justify said space tyrant knowing about it, and I always had an issue with a whole planet of strong people being mentioned once and never appearing again.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Shocking Proposal

"No! You can't do this! You can't do this!" Goku screamed at the sky long after Raditz was out of sight. Bulma, Krillin and Roshi all ran over to Goku. "We're sorry, Goku! If there was anything we could have done, we would have done it," Krillin apologized. "It's okay, Krillin, but I'm going to find him! Nimbus!" Goku's magical cloud flew over to him from the other side of the island, but as Goku started to get up, Roshi and Krillin held him down. "He floored you with one kick! If you fight him, you'll just be killed!" Goku sank to the ground again. "What should I do?"

Bulma had a sad look on her face. "Sad, isn't it? You've had no family for 15 years, and when you finally find a relative, it's a guy like him." Goku started to get up again. "It doesn't matter who he is. He's evil, and I'll never forgive a guy like him." Krillin asked, "What are you gonna do? It's like I said, there's no way you can win." Goku thought of something. "Actually, there is. Whenever someone grabbed my tail as a kid, I lost all my power. If he's got the same weakness, all I've gotta do is squeeze his tail, and he'll be beaten." Krillin was still skeptical. "That would work, but he's still so fast. How are you gonna get to it?" Goku responded "I can't do it on my own."

Roshi took a fighting stance. "Don't worry, Goku, we'll help you as much as we can. We're not as strong as you, but there are two of us, and if we can find Yamcha or Tenshinhan, that makes four." Krillin wasn't so optimistic. "Yeah... if the three of us fight together... Hey Roshi, they say chicks are hot forever in heaven, right?" Bulma tried to boost their spirits. "Sure, you might die, but I've got the Dragon Radar! You'll be dead for a week, tops, and then you'll be able to figure out something else." Goku stopped her. "No, Bulma. Kami taught me everything about Shenron, and he won't grant the same wish twice. Both of you have come back already!" Roshi and Krillin just stared as they realized what this meant.

"I don't know about Krillin, but I'll still help you." Roshi had to admit, 300 years on an island was getting old. Plus, a master should always protect his students, even when the students are stronger than the master. Krillin, for his part, tried to slink back inside Kame House. Bulma had another thought. "We don't need to revive you! We can use the Dragon Balls and have Shenron save the world or something!" Everyone smiled until they remembered they couldn't get across the world in one day, and that Raditz had the Dragon Ball on Gohan's hat anyway. Wait, Raditz had a Dragon Ball? Goku spoke up. "Guys, there's a Dragon Ball on Gohan's hat! If we use the Dragon Radar, we can find Raditz, easy!" The ball was moving, but it came to a stop without leaving Earth. "We can get Gohan back. We might even win!"

"No. No you won't." Everyone turned as the Demon King stepped out of the shadows.

Piccolo was a sight to behold. He was almost half a foot taller than Goku, with green skin and elflike ears. His exposed arms seemed to have lines running down them like fiber, and there were yellow bulges all along them. Everything else was covered by a purple gi and a long, white cape. Finally, he wore a turban on his head. Everyone was horrified, but Goku was furious. "What are you doing here?" "It's about that asshole Raditz. I met up with him about an hour ago. He took my strongest attack without even flinching, called me weak, and left. So, basically, I want him dead as much as you do." Piccolo looked at the others. "You twoc know from our last fight that I'm worth a dozen of you put together." He looked back at Goku. "Neither of us can do a thing to him alone. I want to vomit at the thought, but if we fight together, we might have a chance."

Goku thought for a second. "There's no way you'd do this just to save the Earth. What do you really want?" "Well, just world domination, of course. Domination that I can't get while he's alive." Goku realized that Piccolo was their only hope. "I guess teaming up with you is the best option we have. But the moment we beat him, we're enemies again, got that? I'll never let you take over the world!" "Got it. Let's go kill Raditz."

Goku got on his Nimbus, and the two flew off into the clouds together. Roshi ran towards Bulma's helicopter. "You know, I'm not sure I'm happy about trusting Piccolo with the fate of the Earth, but I sure as hell don't wanna miss it!" Everyone agreed, and they got into the helicopter together.

 **Author Note: If you read Chapter 4 before 11/25/2015, you're probably wondering why Piccolo appeared twice. Well, when I wrote Chapter 4, I forgot that it would still be a little while before Piccolo appeared. I changed the last sentence of Chapter 4 to reflect that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6: The World's Greatest Team

Raditz was having a difficult time. He'd thought the only annoyance on this world was its pitiful fighters, but Kakarot's son had spent the last five minutes teaching him otherwise. "Let me out!", the four-year-old wailed. "For the five-hundredth time, no! You are not coming out until I see a hundred corpses at my feet!". Something about this time was different, though. It was louder, angrier. Suddenly, Raditz's scouter went off. "A warning? But no one here's strong enough to trigger one. How could it...?" Raditz stopped when he saw the number. "710, and it's right here too!" But the only life form for a mile around was Gohan, and he relaxed when the number suddenly dipped to 1. "Damn it, it's broken! As if today wasn't bad enough already."

Meanwhile, Goku and Piccolo were almost there, and they had started making a plan. "We should loop around and hit him from the south. He'll never see us coming!" Goku suggested. Piccolo shook his head. "Yes, he would. He's got some kind of ki detector that locates people from miles off and estimates their power." Goku's face froze. "But that means..." "...he'll see us eventually, no matter what," Piccolo finished. "So no sneaking around. We just have to hit him with everything we've got."

After rebooting his scouter, Raditz had just put it back on and prepared himself for another round of crying, when suddenly the scouter lit up. "Two people, powers of 322 and 334. Funny, I could have sworn those were..." Raditz stopped as he realized what it meant. "No, they can't be that stupid, they just can't. Now that I think about it, he couldn't have found me here anyway! It's probably just another error. Dammit, gonna have to get this thing fixed up as soon as I-" He looked up and saw two figures in the sky, flying down to him. Goku jumped off his Nimbus and landed in front of his brother. Piccolo touched down beside him. The two groups faced each other.

Raditz turned to Goku. "How did you find me?" Goku glared at him. "Sorry, I won't tell you anything." "Come on, I'm your brother! At least tell me why you're here." "What does it look like? I'm here to save my son, and no one's gonna stop me!" From inside the pod, Gohan heard Goku's voice. He looked up and saw his dad standing up to Raditz. He cried "Daddy!", but no one heard him. Raditz spoke again. "Does that mean you care for this pitiful world more than your own people?" "They're not my people, and you're not my brother!" Raditz stood up straight. "I'd hoped you would change your mind, but I guess not." Suddenly, Piccolo yelled: "We know you two aren't best friends! Can't we just do this already?" Piccolo threw his turban and cape on the ground, and they landed with the thud of 200 pounds of weight. Goku was surprised. "I didn't think you'd be using weighted clothing too, but since we're not training, I guess I'd better take this off." Goku stripped down to his undershirt and gi.

The scouter beeped, and Raditz saw that, shockingly, their powers were different than before. "408 and 416? How-?" He quickly sneered again. "If you wanna take off your clothes, go ahead! In fact, do it again! Even if you had ten times that power, you'd never beat me!" Goku shouted back "A fight isn't just about power. We've got a plan!" Raditz glared, fury in his eyes. "You've forfeited your lives, both of you! You are a disgrace to all the Saiyans who ever lived! Now die!" Goku and Piccolo took stances as Raditz flew towards them. Suddenly, he disappeared, and Goku and Piccolo felt him elbow their backs. "Such speed!" Piccolo said, terrified. "Still, I bet this excites you, Goku." "Normally it would, but this guy's just too powerful. I'm as scared as you are." Goku screamed at Raditz. "Where did you hide Gohan?!" Raditz laughed. "I didn't hide him anywhere. He's in the space pod twenty feet away!" Goku flew into the air towards the space pod. "Don't worry, Gohan! Daddy's gonna beat the bad man, and then he's coming to save you!"

Goku touched down. He and Piccolo looked at Raditz for only a second before they charged. Both of them hit Raditz at the same time with a flurry of punches and kicks, but he either blocked them all or just took them without flinching. They disappeared and appeared behind Raditz, but when they tried to tackle him, Raditz kicked them both from behind. He took off, and Goku and Piccolo followed him. That was a mistake, since Raditz created a pink sphere in each hand and fired a beam from each one. Both of them missed, making explosions the size of nukes in the mountains behind them. Raditz flew down and kicked Goku's back. Goku moved to get up, but he stopped when he saw Piccolo.

Goku had dodged Raditz's attack, but Piccolo hadn't been so lucky. His left arm ended at the shoulder, and purple blood was dripping from it. He grunted from pain. "I-ugh-I can still fight with only one arm. Don't worry-agh!" Raditz cackled again. "Not even a minute in and your arm's off. Is there anyone with some real power on this rock, or do I just have to kill you right now?" But Piccolo wasn't listening. He turned to Goku, who was standing again, and whispered to him "Do you have any techniques I don't know about? A power-up, an item, a blast, anything?" "No, sorry. The Kamehameha's always been enough before." Piccolo grunted. "To believe I wasted all that time making the Makankosappo just to kill you." Raditz saw this, but let them talk. After all, what could they possibly do?

"What's the Makan-whatever do?" Goku asked. "It's a beam that starts out weak, but that can be charged to any level with enough time. It'll take a little while, but I think I can kill Raditz with it. The best part is, as long as I have two fingers left, I can use it, so the arm won't be a problem." "Wait, a little while? How long is a little while?" "I don't know, but probably a few minutes. I'll need you to distract him until I have enough power." "How do I know you aren't just trying to get me killed while you run?" "If I thought I could run, I'd have done it long ago." Goku jumped towards Raditz and started fighting him again. Piccolo squatted, touched two fingers to his head, and started to build up power. Raditz knocked Goku away, but he flew into the air.

Goku cupped his his hands. As he did so, a ball of energy appeared inside them, growing larger by the second. "Ka...me..." Raditz's scouter beeped, and what it said shocked him. "What? Kakarot's power is falling, but that ball of energy has a power of 924!" Raditz turned around to check on Piccolo, and was horrified. "1,020 and... and rising? His power wasn't even half that!" He didn't have any more time to think, because just then Goku said "...ha!" and his Kamehameha fired. Raditz dodged, but Goku pulled the wave, causing it to turn. Raditz realized he couldn't dodge it, so he turned around and stuck his hands out. The blast struck him head-on, kicking up smoke and hitting him with enough force to destroy the Moon. Goku stopped for just a moment, but didn't fly down. The smoke cleared... and Raditz was standing there unharmed. The skin on his palms was slightly red from where he'd caught the blast, but that was all. "He-he caught it?" Raditz looked up and smiled. "You want to see a real blast? Here it is!" Raditz shot a purple ball of energy at Goku, and like a shot bird, he dropped out of the sky.

 **Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long, I've had semester finals and that's made me cut back on my writing. Hopefully, you like the first real fight scene in this series! Fans may notice something missing, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it.**


	7. Chapter 7: Hidden Power

Goku hit the ground hard. Raditz ran over to him and grabbed him by the neck; Goku was still stunned, and defenseless against what Raditz was about to do. Before Raditz could kill him, though, his scouter screamed another warning. "The green man! I forgot about him!" Raditz turned, and was horrified by what he saw. "1,330? But that's higher than mine! Can these guys manipulate their power at will?" The Makankosappo was ready to fire. Piccolo stood up and pointed at Raditz. Suddenly, what looked like a yellow drill shot out of his fingers. It was rimmed with purple, and was surrounded by many rings, all the same color as the beam. The blast hit a mountain, turning it to ash. The uncontained wind and light the blast made blinded Piccolo and Goku. Piccolo stood his ground, but Goku, still dazed, was thrown back.

Piccolo was ecstatic for a few seconds before he realized what the blast hitting a mountain meant. Raditz stood about ten feet away from where he'd been. Suddenly, the demon king was frightened. "He- he dodged it!" Raditz was furious, because Piccolo was only half-right. The blast hadn't killed the Saiyan, but it had hit his shoulder. The battle armor was torn off of it, and with how much it was bleeding, Raditz knew that if it had hit his chest, he would be dead. "To think you could have killed me... I'll kill you, you bastard! Die!" Raditz charged a beam in his hand, and Piccolo closed his eyes and waited for death. It never came.

Piccolo opened his eyes and realized that, finally, something was going right. Goku had grabbed Raditz's tail, and just like Goku had hoped, his older brother was powerless. Goku grabbed tightly, and Raditz fell. "Quickly, Piccolo! Use the beam again!" Piccolo was tired, his veins already bulging, but he still had another one in him. "I can shoot one more! Just don't let go of his tail!" Raditz grunted. "Kakarot, would you kill your brother?" "Shut up, bastard! You tried to kill me and my son a minute ago, I'm not listening to you!" "Stop, please! I'm-I'm not really as evil as you think! The other two Saiyans, they manipulated me. They came up with the plan and forced me to come here." Piccolo gave Goku a furious look. "No! Don't even think about it! He's just playing you, Goku! I would say the same thing if I thought it would save me!"

Raditz had a sad look in his eye. "Don't listen to him. He doesn't get it! Do you really think I would want to kill you, my little brother? I've done terrible things for them, I know, but I'll leave them and your world if you just let go. I promise." Goku loosened his grip. "Are you sure?" "I'm sure." Piccolo screamed. "Goku, you idiot! He's not like your pathetic friends! His heart is black and it always will be." Raditz pleaded "P-please. I love you, little Kakarot, like the brother I should have been." Goku was finally convinced, and he let go, ignoring the scream from Piccolo loud enough to shatter bone. It 's too bad Piccolo was right. Raditz elbowed Goku to the ground, and put one foot on his chest. "My God, I can't believe you were dumb enough to make that work. I'm not like that. I'm an elite warrior, and a real Saiyan! You're right, I'm not your brother, because you know what my real brother would have done? He'd have done this!" Raditz pressed his foot down, hard. Goku's ribs cracked from the force as he stomped again and again. Neither he or Raditz noticed the space pod begin to crack.

Raditz turned to Piccolo, who was just standing there, beaten. "What's the matter, slug? Aren't you going to do that thing again?" Piccolo had a look of defeat on his face. "Why? You'd just dodge it again." Before he could say another word, the space pod creaked behind them. Raditz and Piccolo turned and looked at the pod, which had a massive crack on one side. The crack grew bigger as they stared in amazement, until suddenly the pod broke apart completely.

The little boy that jumped out looked and sounded like Gohan, but the power Piccolo felt couldn't be coming from the boy, could it? Gohan had jumped nearly fifty feet in the air, with a look of utter hatred on his face that no four-year-old should have had. He landed on the ground next to Goku. Goku tried to calm his son. "Please, Gohan. You have to run before he kills you!" If Goku was paying attention to his son's power, though, he wouldn't have told him to run. Raditz scanned the boy. "Power level of... 1,307? What?" Gohan almost seemed to glow with power. "Leave my daddy alone!" Suddenly, he leapt at Raditz, headbutting him. To Goku's amazement, the blow shattered Raditz's armor where it hit, and left the Saiyan clutching his gut and gasping for air. As Raditz reeled back, Gohan went to his father, all traces of anger gone. "Daddy?" Goku could only stare in shock. "Gohan, you..." Before he could say more, Raditz recovered, walking towards them. He tensed up, but anger turned to confusion when his scouter gave Gohan's power as 1. Goku realized his son was back to the level of a normal toddler. "Gohan, run!"

"I don't know how you got that much power before, but you're dead now!" Raditz smashed Gohan aside. By a stroke of luck, Gohan survived, but he was unconscious. Goku screamed. "No! He's just-  
Raditz cut him off. "Just what? Just a child? I don't know what happened, but that boy's power made yours look like nothing. Imagine what he could be as an adult! As much as I want to take him, he might threaten even the three of us. I can't let him live. Don't worry, though, you'll get to see him in Hell!" Raditz ran to Gohan, raised his fist up, and began forming the blast that would end his nephew's life. Before he could use it, though, he was grabbed from behind. Faced with losing his son, Goku had found the strength to get up and surprise his brother. "Piccolo, hurry! Charge the move!" As it turned out, Piccolo had started charging the Makankosappo when Gohan had bursted out of the space pod, realizing that they had a chance. "I've almost got another one done, but it'll take just a little longer!"

For the first time, Raditz was afraid. "Kakarot, get off me! If that blast goes through my chest, we'll both die!" "I know, but it's worth it to save this planet from someone like you!" Raditz struggled, but Gohan had cracked his ribs, and he couldn't move very well. Piccolo smiled. "The idea of killing my strongest rival and my most hated enemy at the same time is music to my ears. I won't hold back!" Raditz screamed. "Kakarot, I know I've done awful things, but I'll change!" "I'm not falling for that spiel again, Raditz!" "I'm not lying! Can't you believe your own brother?" But it no longer mattered, because Piccolo was ready. "Two one-way trips to Hell coming up!" Raditz began to cry in terror, but then the beam hit him. It drilled through Raditz's stomach in barely a second, and tore Goku apart like wet paper. The two fell away from each other to the ground.

Piccolo walked over to Raditz. Raditz was bleeding out, but still conscious. "The idea of Kakarot throwing away his life to save this world..." he wheezed. Piccolo smirked. "Oh, don't worry. He'll be back soon. Death is only temporary for him." Raditz's eyes went wide as he coughed up blood. "W-what?" "You see, Earth has these things called Dragon Balls. Collect all seven, and you can have any wish you want. Returning Goku to life, for instance. And Goku's friends have become very good at finding these balls; I'll be surprised if he's gone a week." Raditz grunted. "Damn it! Still, that's good to hear. You see, this scouter is also an audio transmitter, and my friends have been listening to this whole fight! They know all about those Dragon Balls now, and when they come here to use them, they'll wish me back and you'll be destroyed in the blink of an eye!" Goku raised his head up. "When-when will they be here?" "In one year. And you know what?" Piccolo and Goku stared, horrified. "Those two are each strong enough to make me look like nothing. You beat me with luck, and that is not luck you will have again." And with that, Raditz died.

On a faraway world, two Saiyans sat by a campfire. Bodies littered the ground around them. One was a bald, well-muscled man, easily seven feet tall. The other was tiny, just over five feet but with a massive hairdo. His black hair was in the shape of a fire, and was as large as the rest of his head. Unlike the other Saiyans, his battle armor had a white and gold color scheme, and he had a blue jumpsuit on under it. The big one spoke with a deep, gruff voice. "Well, I guess that's it. You know, I always knew that idiot was gonna kick the bucket, but now I almost miss him." His partner shook his head and replied with a voice that sounded like gravel. "I don't. Raditz was pathetic. Did you hear the part where he called himself an 'elite warrior'? I couldn't stop laughing!" The big one had a question. "What do we do about those Dragon Balls? Do we leave this planet to get them, or wait?" "Leave, definitely. We're going to make our wish, but it certainly won't be to wish that fool back. How should we phrase it? Something like 'We wish for eternal youth and life'. Then we can enjoy battle for all time!" The big one's eyes lit up. "Maybe we can finally... you know." "Yes, I had the same thought. I have wanted to do that for a while." The two grabbed their few belongings, put out their fire, and got in their space pods. They were going to Earth.


	8. Chapter 8: Training in Heaven?

Bulma piloted the air car skillfully. They were there at last. She saw, to her disappointment, that only one fighter remained standing. "I guess the fight is over. But who's the guy standing?" Krillin would have spotted either of the Saiyans' hairdos, but he didn't see either of them, and he screamed as he realized what that meant. "Oh God... The one standing, it's-it's... Piccolo." They landed and ran to Goku's body. Piccolo greeted them with: "Your friend has been killed." He told them the story.

"...and that's it." Piccolo finished, relieved to be done. Krillin was bent over Goku's body. "Goku, stay with me, please!" Bulma was next to Gohan. "Gohan's alright, but he's out cold." Goku woke up. "Thank... god..." Krillin told the others "He's awake!" Goku wheezed to Krillin. "You've died before too, haven't you? It really sucks, doesn't it." "No, you can't die!" "Don't be sad. You'll bring me back to life, right? I'm... I'm counting on you..." And suddenly Goku was dead, and Krillin was screaming over his body. "Goku! No!"

Chi-Chi sat alone, knitting at her house. No one had told her about Raditz, and so she still assumed the group was at Kame House. "I hope Gohan's having fun there. I'm sure he's fine. He's got good manners." A car pulled up their house, and Chi-Chi's father, the Ox-King got out. The Ox-King was like a big bear; he was nearly ten feet tall and wider than Chi-Chi was tall, but he was lovable. "Gohan! Gohan, where are you? I've got lots of presents for you!"

Back at the battleground, Krillin was still screaming when, suddenly, Goku's body disappeared. It just faded away, leaving a pool of blood behind. "What?" Krillin asked, surprised. No one seemed to know what had happened, but Piccolo knew his other half far too well. "What have you done now, Kami?" The others turned to look at him. "Kami's the only one who could pull off something like that. He must have some plan for Goku. If only I knew what it was." Roshi tried to be calm. "Well, if Kami did it, it must be for the greater good, right?" He picked up Gohan's hat. "I guess we'd better collect the other six balls and wish Goku to life." Bulma was angry. "Where are Yamcha and the others at a time like this?" Krillin remarked "Well, maybe if you hadn't chased him off-" Bulma cut him off. "Speaking of finding people, how did Goku's brother find us?" Piccolo told them about the scouter as he put on his weighted clothing. Bulma handed Gohan to Roshi and walked over to Raditz's body. "I guess this green thing must be the scouter, right?" She took it off.

The scouter had taken a lot of punishment and wouldn't turn on, but Bulma knew she could fix it. "If we take this back with us, I can repair it and find Yamcha and the others." "Let's head back to Kame House. Bulma can fix the device, and I can look for the Dragon Balls," Krillin suggested. Roshi spoke up: "We've forgotten one very important thing. What about Piccolo?" They turned, and saw him growling furiously as he looked at them. The others prepared to fight, but suddenly, the stump where Piccolo's left arm used to be moved. Piccolo screamed in pain, and a whole new arm grew back. It was covered in some kind of yellow liquid, but was otherwise brand new. Piccolo tested the arm. It was stiff at first, but it quickly became as flexible as his old arm. He addressed the others. "You look for the Dragon Balls. Kami can go in and out of the afterlife, but even he can't take people with him. In exchange for not harming you, I'm taking the boy."

The others were shocked. "What are you gonna do, eat him?" Krillin yelled. "I'd never eat someone as valuable as Gohan. You must have felt the flare of power, that moment when it felt like there was another Raditz? Well, that was Gohan when he got angry. If he can control and expand that power, we might have a prayer at defeating the next two Saiyans. The only way to do that is to train him, and none of you have the power or harshness it takes to mold a boy into a warrior." Everyone was scared. "But if we don't tell Goku or Chi-Chi-" "I don't care! I've let you live so far, but if you complain, I'll kill you right here! You know from five years ago that you don't stand a chance at defeating me." Piccolo stared hard at Gohan, and he began to float. He levitated over to Piccolo, who caught him in his arm. "In one year, I'll bring the boy back to you. When Goku is revived, tell him his son will come back a legend." With that, Piccolo flew away. Even if they had the power to get Gohan back, none of them could fly.

"He'll die! Even if he lives, he'll be a villain like Piccolo!" Krillin said. At the very least, Piccolo had left Gohan's hat, and the Dragon Ball it contained.

The Check-In Station was a strange place. It was a white pagoda, with green roofs and red fencing. Uncountable clouds streamed into the station. Each cloud was a soul, and it was King Enma's job to judge them worthy of either Heaven or Hell. Goku was not among them. Instead, he stood in front of the line, with Kami grasping his shoulder. Kami had told him he was getting Goku a new teacher, but that they needed the permission of King Enma. Enma was a massive oni, with red skin, a purple suit and a black beard. Even sitting, he was well over thirty feet tall. While Goku watched, Kami talked. "...and that is why I seek permission for Son Goku of Earth to keep his body intact. Pleast, King Enma, allow him to train with King Kai, Lord of Worlds." Enma spoke with a voice like thunder. "Son Goku, I have reviewed his deeds. Risking his life numerous times, saving countless people... you are asking for a man who could go to the highest part of Heaven to risk his soul on Snake Way just to train?" Kami nodded.

Goku asked Kami "Does everyone come here when they die?" "Yes." "Even aliens and stuff like that?" "Everyone comes here to be judged. You're not from Earth, but you're here." Kami looked very much like Piccolo, but much older. He seemed like he could have once been as tall, but age had wrinkled his skin and taken nearly a foot off his height. He wore a white outfit and a blue cape, with the kanji for his name on the front. Goku turned to King Enma. "Did a guy named Raditz come here a few minutes back?' Kami looked at Goku, horrified. "Be more polite! You're speaking to a god who can reject our request and let our planet die as a result! Do you want that?" Enma replied to Goku's question. "Yes, he came here. Bastard challenged me to a fight, so I gave him back his body for a bit and put him down." Goku was amazed. "You beat someone like him down that easy? You must be strong! Maybe I can train with you!" Kami whispered in his ear. "Remember what I said about being polite? Besides, King Kai is stronger anyway." Enma spoke up. "I heard that, Guardian of Earth. You know, you're very old. Maybe I could send you to Hell when you die?" Kami straightened up and bowed, apologizing profusely. "Well, alright. I guess there's no harm in granting your request. I'll summon a guide to take you to Snake Way. Run along that, and you'll get to the Lord of Worlds." Goku tried to run off, but Enma stopped him. "One last warning. I have no idea what will happen if you fall off. For all I know, you'll be exiled to Hell!" Goku said goodbye to Kami and ran to the guide.

Soon enough, Goku was riding in a car to Snake Way. It was a tiny car, driven by an oni with black hair, blue skin and horns. He spoke with a soft voice. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, I'm going to take you as far as the start of the road. After that, you have to make it on your own. It will be a very hard journey, especially for someone in such bad health." Goku was confused. "What do you mean, bad health?" "Well, you're dead, aren't you?" The oni laughed at his own joke. "Say, can you tell me about this King Kai guy?" The oni was happy to. "Well, you know how your Kami is the guardian of a planet? Well, King Kai is the guardian of the whole galaxy." Goku was excited. "He must be really strong! I can't wait to train with him!" And they kept on driving along.


	9. Chapter 9: The Demon and the Boy

Krillin and Master Roshi were still in the backseat of the air car, and Krillin was worried. "We'll have to tell Chi-Chi about all this at some point." Roshi looked at Krillin. "Krillin, I want you to go and tell her what happened." Krillin looked horrified. "Why does it have to be me? Can't you do it?" "You know how she gets, and you're the least likely to get killed." Krillin just sat there, mouth open in shock.

In Heaven, Goku's taxi had finally reached Snake Way. It was obvious that the 30-foot snake head at the front was where it got its name from. "So, do I just run 'til I reach the end, or what?" The oni nodded. Goku jumped on top of the snake. He couldn't see anything other than the road and the yellow clouds below it. "Hey, how long is this thing, anyway?" The oni smiled as he said "No one knows for sure, but the legends say Snake Way is around one million kilometers long." Goku's mouth opened in shock. "One-one million kilometers? Has anyone even made it to the end?" "Oh, yes. King Enma is the most recent one. That was about, hmm... I'd say just under two thousand years ago." Goku looked out at Snake Way again. "Well, if he got that strong from King Kai's training, I have to try." The oni looked at Goku seriously. "I almost forgot. Please be careful not to fall down into the clouds. That's where Hell is, after all." Goku was about to start running when he realized something. "Wait! Do you know someone named Uranai Baba? Old woman, pink hair, always rides on that weird ball?" The oni nodded. Goku smiled. "Great! Next time she comes, tell her to tell Master Roshi not to revive me until the Saiyans are about to arrive." As Goku spoke, the oni wrote everything down. Goku had one last question. "By the way, are there any monsters or strong guys I have to watch out for?" The oni shook his head. "Alright! I'd better get going then." Goku flew off, and in seconds he was out of sight.

About an hour later, Krillin was at Chi-Chi's door in his finest suit, trying to figure out what to say. "'Son Goku has passed, my condolences.' No, too sudden. How about 'I'm afraid Goku has passed into an eternal sleep.' We're gonna revive him, though..." Before Krillin could finish, Chi-Chi opened the door. "Hi, Krillin. What're you doing here?" Krillin stammered. "Well, I-I need to tell you-" Krillin was cut off by the Ox-King, who came in behind Chi-Chi. "Hey there! It's been so long! Where are Goku and the others?" "Well, to tell you the truth, Goku is d...d..." And Krillin choked. "...Don't worry about him, is what he wanted me to say!" Chi-Chi was annoyed. "So he'll be late? Typical Goku." Krillin answered "Yeah, he won't come home." "Won't come home? What do you mean?" "Did I say he wouldn't come home? Nah, he'll be back soon." Chi-Chi grabbed the dwarf. "Just... Come in and we can talk about it." Reluctantly, Krillin went into the house.

Piccolo had finally found a good spot to start Gohan's training. The lake was surrounded by hills, away from the rest of the world. "Wake up, boy!" He threw Gohan into the shallow water. After a few seconds, the toddler woke up crying. He took one look at the 6'6" green man standing over him and screamed even louder. "Daddy!" Gohan ran away from Piccolo. The demon grabbed him from behind. "Either stop crying or stop breathing! Now, there are some things I need to tell you. Number one: Your dad's dead. He saved you from the man who took you away, but he had to die so he could beat him." Gohan started crying again, but Piccolo gave him a hard stare and he closed his mouth. He continued, "Goku must have told you how the Dragon Balls can grant any wish. His friends have been using them for a while, so he should be back to life pretty quickly. That's not the issue. The problem is, two men even stronger than Raditz are coming to destroy the planet. Goku and I can train, but even then, it's still not a sure thing. That's where you come in. I'm going to train you to fight like we do. Flying, special techniques, that sort of thing."

Gohan was stunned. "I can't fight! I'm only four!" The demon shook his head. "No. You might not remember it, but in our fight, you hit Raditz and actually hurt him. Right now, it looks like you can only use that power when you're angry, but if you could control that power, you would eclipse your father and I put together." Gohan still didn't believe him. "No! I don't have power! I'm not strong like you!" Piccolo sighed. This was going to take a hands-on approach. He picked the screaming toddler up and threw him at a plateau. If his power worked, he would survive. If it didn't... well, that would be the second trump card Piccolo had wasted today. Gohan screamed as he flew towards the mountain.

Suddenly, his power spiked. A blue aura surrounded him, and by reflex he blasted the plateau with everything he had. The attack was so strong even Piccolo had to plant his feet to resist the shockwave. "He's stronger than he was against Raditz! If this goes well, the Saiyans will be nothing against him, but if he becomes an enemy..." Gohan sat, shocked, as Piccolo walked towards him. The blast left a trail in the ground a hundred feet wide that went out as far as the eye could see. Finally, the child spoke.

"Did... Was that me?" Piccolo smiled. "It looks like I was right. It's only for a moment, but when your life is in danger, your power explodes. We can turn you into a god." Gohan pouted. "But I don't wanna be a fighter, I wanna be a scholar!" "That will have to wait. Don't you get it? If the Saiyans win, everyone dies, and your pathetic dream dies with them." "But I don't-" "Shut up! You don't have a choice! You're going to fight, whether you like it or not!" Gohan thought for a moment. "When Daddy comes back, can't I train with him instead?" The demon king laughed. "No. I'll admit, Goku's as strong as I am, but he'd be too soft. Just look at how spoiled you are! No, only I can unlock your potential. And I can tell, we're going to have a lot of fun."

 **Sorry it's been so long since I posted, but life kind of got in the way. I take longer to post new content than Dragon Ball Super does to rehash movies, I get that. I'll try to upload more often, but I still don't know for sure if I can do that, so sorry if I can't. By the way, I wrote the part with Piccolo's training over a month after the rest of it, so if it sounds different, that's why.**


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